Anthony Bourdain beware: Jahan Hamilton is gunning for your job.

Originally from Calcutta, India, but adopted by a couple in Alburnett, Iowa, Hamilton hopes his culinary skills will one day make him as famous as the world-renowned chef and “No Reservations” TV star.

“I’ve always liked cooking,” he said. “It’s a good life skill to have. I’m working on becoming the next Anthony Bourdain.”

The senior graphic-design major has spent the past year working in the kitchen at the University Athletic Club, 1360 Melrose Ave. Currently serving as chef de garde manger, Hamilton’s task is to prepare and present such cold foods such as salads and desserts.

Creating garnishes and designing dessert plates is the most fun part of his job, he said.

By using chocolate, caramel, or fruit-infused syrups, Hamilton can design creative dessert plates that keep the customers coming back for more.

“He’s very creative, and he uses his background in art not just for his classes,” said Michael Graham, the head chef at the club. “You can tell it’s something he takes seriously and uses in other ways with the desserts and plate presentations he does.”

After working at the club for a year, creating garnishes has become easy for Hamilton. A simple strawberry fan garnish takes him about 10 seconds to make, he said, while some of the more complex and intricate ones may only take a couple of minutes.

He said he has also tried to incorporate some of his Indian culture into his designs, creating henna designs on the plates when he has a little bit more time to practice.

While the taste of the food is obviously most important, an aesthetically pleasing design can add that extra touch to a meal.

“One of the things I learned when I first started [at the club] was presentation definitely matters,” Hamilton said while running his fingers along a table at T-Spoons to demonstrate a spiral design. “… it looks nice, and it’s more professional.”

Culinary arts have interested him since high school, he said. His mother, Karen Hamilton, said she bought cookbooks for Jahan and let him experiment with his fascination with cooking.

Being able to see her son apply his passion to his job has made her proud of her son, she said.

“We are a meat and potatoes kind of family, so his cooking habits seem to be much more cultured than ours,” she joked. “It’s usually a very good and out-of-the-box experience.”

While Jahan Hamilton currently works on the cold side of the kitchen, he hopes to make the transition to the hot side as a cook.

He practices his cooking skills with his friends, but he also has the opportunity to prepare a daily staff meal at the club for the wait staff, dishwashers, and sometimes even the professional chefs and managers.

“That’s always fun,” he said. “Sometimes I use them as my guinea pigs for things I’m trying out that are new to see what people like.”